Yan zhan (complete nest) is not necessarily more nutritious than fragments; purity is the most important factor. Fragments that have fallen usually have more impurities, which makes cleaning more difficult and may affect taste.

Bottled bird's nest is widely available and can easily bemade into soup. Hungry mariners discovered bird's nest It is said that Zheng He, the great Chinese navigator in the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), was the first Chinese to eat bird's nest.

Zheng's fleet was forced to anchor at a desert island due to a big storm.

Food was scarce and the men were hungry. Zheng discovered the nests on cliffs by chance and ordered his men to collect them and cook them.

Amazingly, the sailors all felt strong and energetic and looked well in a few days. They collected more bird's nests as tribute to the emperor. How to choose the best nest

Observe: Check whether the nest, either whole or in fragments, is translucent and has an irregular surface created by strands of saliva.

Smell: Real bird's nest is virtually odorless; if it smells fishy or greasy, it's a fake.

Touch: Soak a small piece in water; it should get soft and stretch. If it's brittle or gooey, it's fake.

How to preserve:

Nests should be sealed before storage in the fridge. If it is moist, it should be dried in cold air, not in sunshine or in the oven.

Cooking basic soup

Common bird's nest soup

Preparation: Soak whole dried nest in water for an hour until it softens, remove impurities. Filter and soak again in purified water overnight, four to eight hours. Remove impurities but retain nutrient-rich water.

Cook in a small double-boiler. About 30-45 minutes are enough for guan yan (official nest), while xue yan (bloody nest) requires 3-3.5 hours because of mineral composition.

When it's almost done, add rock sugar to sweeten. Simmer for five minutes.

Eat once daily every two days. Take for at least three months.

(Shanghai Daily September 15, 2009)